Benedict Cumberbatch is a British actor with a $40 million net worth. He began his professional acting career in 2000 and hadn’t looked back since.
He is most known for his roles as Sherlock Holmes in films such as “The Other Boleyn Girl,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” and the classic BBC series “Sherlock.”
Benedict Cumberbatch Childhood:
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch was born in Hammersmith, London, England, on July 19, 1976, and grew up in an acting household. At eight, Cumberbatch began his boarding school education at Brambletye School in West Sussex.
He then received an Arts scholarship to attend the prestigious Harrow School, where he was involved in numerous Shakespearean productions. He made his acting debut at 12 in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Cumberbatch volunteered as an English instructor at a Tibetan monastery in India during his gap year before college. He then earned a degree in Drama from the University of Manchester. He then attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Benedict Cumberbatch Career:
Cumberbatch has starred in several critically acclaimed theatre, film, and television projects and has established a reputation for portraying leading characters with “problems.”
Since 2001, he has starred in major productions at Regent’s Park Open Air, the Royal Court, and the Royal National Theaters.
Additionally, he has appeared in numerous Shakespeare productions at London’s Barbican Theater. In May 2005, he made his West End debut in “Hedda Gabler.”
He also co-starred in the Royal National Theatre’s multi-award-winning production of “Frankenstein” with Johnny Lee Miller. Cumberbatch made his television debut in the early 2000s with cameo appearances on “Heartbeat” and “Tipping the Velvet.”
Cumberbatch made his television debut in 2004 as Stephen Hawking in “Hawking.” He was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor for her performance and won the Golden Nymph for Best Actor Performance. In 2005, while filming “To the Ends of the Earth” in South Africa, he was the victim of a frightening carjacking.
Cumberbatch made his feature film debut in 2007’s “Atonement.” He starred in “The Other Boleyn Girl” the following year. Cumberbatch first debuted as Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series “Sherlock” in 2010.
Throughout the series’ run from 2010 to 2017, his acting and the program received widespread critical praise. Cumberbatch received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won one for his performance in the show.
Benedict starred in four films in 2013 that earned him Academy Award nominations in one or more categories. “12 Years as a Slave,” “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” “August: Osage County,” and “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” were among those films.
He garnered an Academy Award nomination for his performance in “The Imitation Game” in 2014. Cumberbatch made his feature debut as Doctor Strange in November 2016, followed by appearances in “Avengers: Infinity War” in 2018 and “Avengers: Endgame” in April 2019.
Additionally, he had a small appearance in Sam Mendes’ war picture “1917” in 2019. Cumberbatch received a BAFTA for his lead part in the Showtime/Sky Atlantic limited series “Patrick Melrose.”
Benedict has also done many voice work and his theatrical and cinematic careers. He has a passion for radio work, having worked on several BBC shows.
His most well-known radio adaption is “Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders,” a 2009 adaptation of a novel by John Mortimer. He also portrayed Angel Islington in Neil Gaiman’s “Neverwhere” adaption for BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
Cumberbatch recited the original BBC radio announcements for BBC Radio 4 on June 6, 2014, the 70th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. Cumberbatch has also narrated numerous National Geographic and Discovery programs and several audiobooks.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s Private Life:
Cumberbatch and two pals, Theo and Denise Black, were kidnapped in South Africa after defeating a tire. They were apprehended by many locals, loaded into a vehicle, and taken into uncharted terrain.
They had been listening to Radiohead’s “How to Disappear Completely” before the ruptured tire. Cumberbatch has remarked that hearing the song now provides him with a “feeling of realism and a reason for optimism.”
In February 2015, Cumberbatch married opera director Sophie Hunter. They had known one other for 17 years earlier. Christopher Carlton (b. 2015) and Hal Audren are their sons (b. 2017).
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Benedict Cumberbatch Charity Work
Cumberbatch is a Prince’s Trust ambassador. He supports several groups that use the arts to assist poor youth, including Odd Arts, Anno’s Africa, and Dramatic Need.
Since 2004, when he portrayed Stephen Hawking, he has served as an ambassador for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Cumberbatch gives artworks to benefit organizations and fundraisers for The Willow Foundation and the Thomas Coram Children’s Foundation.
In May 2014, he co-hosted a cancer awareness fundraising banquet at Windsor Castle with Prince William and Ralph Lauren. The event benefited the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.
In 2014, he appeared with photographer Jason Bell at a Pall Mall, London, display commemorating 10 years of the “Give up Clothes for Good” charity initiative.
It has benefited Cancer Research UK to the tune of $17 million. Cumberbatch is also a co-founder of the “Save Soho” initiative, which strives to conserve the neighborhood’s famous music and performing arts establishments.
He has also starred in a video campaign to raise funds for the Save the Children charity, which assists children, and Syrian refugees. Cumberbatch was a signatory to an open letter published in The Guardian criticizing the government’s handling of the refugee situation.
Cumberbatch was awarded the CBE by the Queen on November 10, 2015, during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace for his contributions to the performing arts and philanthropy. In 2016, he was named a visiting fellow at Oxford University’s Lady Margaret Hall.
